MANILA, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said his statement on “DDS” links meant “Davao Development System” and not “Davao Death Squad.”

In a local show Gikan Para sa Masa last Monday, Duterte answered allegations that he is behind the Davao Death Squad, who are suspected to be responsible for summary killings of the criminals in Davao City.Read More…

In an interview on GMA News’ State of the Nation with Jessica Soho Tuesday evening, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte categorically said that he does not want and neither is he running for any national position in the 2016 elections.

Mayor Duterte said he is going around advocating the federal system to address local governance concerns in Mindanao that have arisen because of the ongoing public debate on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.Read More…

DAVAO, Philippines – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has admitted his links to the Davao Death Squad, which is allegedly responsible for summary executions of criminals in the city. He also warned he will kill up to 100,000 criminals if he is elected president.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch has called for an investigation into the Davao Death Squad killings and urged the Philippine government not to tolerate a public official who endorses extrajudicial killings.Read More…

DAVAO CITY — The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the government to investigate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s possible role in the summary executions that took place here since he became chief executive – almost continuously – since 1988.

HRW said that during Duterte’s terms as chief executive, over 1,000 suspected law offenders – many of them involved in the illegal drug trade – had been killed and the mayor “continued to espouse the killing of criminal suspects to combat crime.”Read More…